Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven have finally come face-to-face.
Next month, Usyk defends his WBC heavyweight title against Verhoeven in a superfight that will take place in front of the ancient Pyramids of Giza. Usyk is undefeated in the squared circle and currently the top pound-for-pound fighter in boxing, while Verhoeven is widely regarded as one of the greatest kickboxers of all time and has not lost a fight in over a decade.
It’s a crossover matchup that figures to be an enormous spectacle,
and on Tuesday, the two champions faced off for the first time after their opening press conference, staring each other down for over a minute.
But while their faceoff was extended, the actual press conference with Usyk and Verhoeven was not especially heated. Both men were highly respectful of each other in their comments about the fight.
“It’s a great guy,” Usyk said. “It’s a dangerous guy. You know, please, one time I want to do what I want, not what need. Because a lot time I do what need [for] other people. ‘You have to box him, you must box him.’ I say, ‘Okay, okay.’ Now, I do what I need. Thank you so much.“
“What an opportunity we have to upset the world and write history,” Verhoeven responded. “‘Are you crazy?’ I think to be the very best at what you’re doing, you have to be a little bit crazy. I think that’s not just me, I think that’s every vertical and every discipline. You have to be a little bit crazy and a little bit obsessed with what you’re doing. And that’s what I am.
“Like he said, he’s doing something that he wants to do now. He was open to the fight, he was excited about the fight because it’s something new, it’s something different. We’re bringing new eyeballs to combat sports in general. We’re colliding two worlds together, kickboxing and boxing, to make the sport of combat even bigger.”
But, for as respectful as both men were, Verhoeven couldn’t help but sell the fight, too.
“When I land my best punch on him, of course, he will go down,” Verhoeven said. “There’s like a 20-kilo weight difference. He’s like a built-up cruiserweight, and I’m like a naturally born heavyweight. So, that’s a big difference. So, that’s what’s going to happen when I land my best shot, clean.”
“We’ll see,” Usyk replied.
Usyk vs. Verhoeven takes place on May 23 in Cairo, Egypt.
